Book Journeys: A Canticle for Leibowitz

A Canticle of Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic novel, albeit one with very little in common with other books I've read in the genre. Starting in the 26th century and ending about 1200 years later, Walter M. Miller Jr. depicts the gradual return to civilisation that takes place after world wide nuclear war has reduced America to a medieval state. This fascinating reconstruction of society in the blasted feudal deserts of the American Southwest takes place from the perspective of an order of Catholic monks who seek to canonize a 'Saint Leibowitz', a Jewish electrical engineer from the U.S. Army who hid with said monks and preserved 20th century knowledge through the clandestine art of 'booklegging'. 

Walter M. Miller Jr. was predominantly known for writing science fiction short stories. A Canticle for Leibowitz is a fixup of three such interrelated short stories into one narrative, and also the only novel that Miller Jr. had published in his lifetime. In some circles, A Canticle for Leibowitz is considered 'Christian Science Fiction', being that it presents a sympathetic view of the Church as a preserver of knowledge in a world gone mad. Another common perspective is that the novel is a crossover text of sorts, being that its message extends far into the realm of secular interests, and that the role of the Church in this future 'Dark Age' is a echo of the role that various orders of monks played throughout the original Middle Ages in preserving knowledge and pioneering innovations. The novel is deep in scope but never becomes esoteric or lofty, with Miller Jr. keeping his story firmly grounded in relatable human characters.

I was attracted to this novel because I love the American Southwest, and I love post-apocalyptic novels. The post-apocalyptic genre portrays possible scenarios that might arise from our overriding need to survive, which is a theme that will always resonate with readers. A Canticle for Leibowitz is also a good example of the little-discussed 'feudalpunk' subgenre, where science fiction and medieval technology intertwine, which also provides fertile ground for discussing the patterns of history as we know it.

I'm also found myself drawn to this novel because of its tragic backstory. On one level A Canticle for Leibowitz, published in 1959 and projecting a future created from the ashes of nuclear armageddon, is very much reflective of a Cold War context. On a more personal level, however, it's a novel that grew out of the author's own trauma. Walter M. Miller Jr. served as part of the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II and was involved in the aerial bombing of an ancient Benedictine Monastery in Italy, which would continue to haunt him for the rest of his life. He came to idolise the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War and, by the 1990s, he was a recluse suffering from debilitating depression, disallowing even his own literary agent to ever meet him. 

Sadly, the author committed suicide in 1996, two years after the death of his wife. He had been working on a sequel to his novel for at least 15 years but ultimately decided that he was unable to finish it for psychological reasons. A deal was made for another writer, Terry Bisson, to complete the book. The presumption at the time was that Miller Jr. hadn't managed to make it work and that this was why he abandoned it, but surprisingly, Bisson found that Miller Jr. had written nearly 600 pages and had a very clear outline of how the novel should end. I haven't read Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman and, to be honest, I'm not sure that I ever will. I enjoyed A Canticle for Leibowitz so much that I wouldn't want to besmirch its memory in any way.